Chapter 8 - The Return Of Daniel Carter
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The man standing at the entrance looked like a ghost from Avery's childhood.
Older.
Broken.
But alive.
Daniel Carter looked at his daughter.
And tears filled his eyes.
"Avery."
The sound of her name from his mouth destroyed the last piece of doubt in her heart.
"Dad..."
She moved forward.
Slowly.
Like she was afraid he would disappear.
Then suddenly she ran.
She didn't care about the guests.
She didn't care about cameras.
She didn't care about the Sterling name.
She only saw the father she thought she lost forever.
She fell into his arms.
And for the first time in twenty years...
She cried like the little girl who had waited by the window for him to come home.
"Why?"
Her voice broke.
"Why did you leave me?"
Daniel held her tightly.
"I never left you."
Avery pulled back.
"Then why didn't you come back?"
Daniel looked at Victoria.
And everyone understood.
Because he wasn't afraid of answering.
He was afraid of what would happen after.
"Because I was protecting you."
Avery shook her head.
"From what?"
Daniel looked at Liam.
"From the Sterling family."
The words shocked everyone.
Liam stepped forward.
"My family?"
Daniel nodded.
"Not all of them."
He looked at Charles Sterling's son.
"Your father was a good man."
Then his eyes moved to Victoria.
"But she wasn't."
Victoria smiled.
"You always loved playing the victim."
Daniel ignored her.
"Twenty years ago, I found evidence that Victoria was secretly transferring Sterling assets into private accounts."
Liam looked at Victoria.
"How much?"
Daniel answered.
"Nearly four hundred million dollars."
The guests gasped.
Victoria's face remained calm.
"Do you have proof?"
Daniel smiled.
"I kept everything."
He reached into his coat.
And pulled out a small black notebook.
Victoria's expression changed.
Avery noticed.
She knew that notebook mattered.
"What is that?"
Daniel looked at her.
"The reason I survived."
He handed it to Liam.
"My father kept records of every transaction."
Liam opened the notebook.
Page after page.
Names.
Dates.
Accounts.
Everything.
Then he found something that made his hands shake.
A signature.
His mother's signature.
"This..."
He looked at Victoria.
"Is this real?"
Victoria said nothing.
Liam looked devastated.
"Mom."
Victoria finally spoke.
"You don't understand the world we live in."
Liam laughed sadly.
"No."
He shook his head.
"I understand perfectly."
Avery watched her husband.
The man she loved was finally seeing the truth.
But before anyone could say another word...
The ballroom doors slammed shut.
The security system activated.
Red lights flashed across the room.
A computerized voice echoed:
"All exits locked."
Everyone panicked.
Marcus ran toward the control panel.
"It's been overridden."
Liam looked around.
"By who?"
The answer came through the speakers.
A voice.
A familiar voice.
"By someone who wants the Sterling family to finally pay."
Avery froze.
Because she recognized the voice.
It was not Victoria.
May you like
It was someone else.
Someone inside the family.
